We hope each of you had a wonderful Independence Day celebrating the 235th anniversary of our county.

Delta Health Alliance has many exciting developments to report in this edition of The Pulse, our e-newsletter.Please feel free to call us if you have any questions about these initiatives or would like to participate in any of them.

Project HOPE was back in the Mississippi Delta two weeks ago. Project HOPE is an international foundation that has teamed up with the Delta Health Alliance to provide health care supplies, equipment and other in-kind donations to the programs and clinics we operate. On this second trip, Project HOPE sponsored a two-day trip for executives from 7 national and international companies who have an interest in health care and who are looking at possible funding partnerships with DHA.In addition to on-site visits with selected DHA projects, the group met with Governor Haley Barbour, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, state Commissioner of Higher Education Hank Bounds and business, political, and health care leaders throughout the Delta.

Earlier this year, in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Project HOPE CEO John Howe and Karen Fox, CEO of Delta Health Alliance, the leaders pledged to explore opportunities to develop and implement health programs in the Delta and pursue financial resources to support these programs.Immediately, supplies for Mississippi Delta residents began arriving.Through the HOPE-DHA collaboration, medical testing and other supplies have been distributed to all of the DHA 21st Century Primary Care Model for Chronic Disease clinics (Good Samaritan, Gorton Clinic, Leflore County Health Center, and the upcoming Good Samaritan Clinic for South Sunflower County Hospital) and other DHA projects.

During this visit to the Delta, Project HOPE brought guests from foundations and organizations devoted to resolving health disparities.That's good news for the Mississippi Delta, a region plagued with chronic disease.

A noteworthy aspect of the tour was visits with state officials. During a meeting with Governor Barbour, he reiterated his support for the HOPE/DHA partnership and applauded the public-private partnership. Lt. Governor Bryant offered continued support for the collaborative efforts of the two organizationswhile Dr. Bounds announced the partnership would receive full support by the state's four institutions of higher learning, all partners of Delta Health Alliance.

The delegation witnessed first-hand six DHA projects during their two-day stop in the Delta.The DHA projects/ partners are: VISICU®(University of Mississippi Medical Center) - Jackson, Tele-psychiatry Project (University of Mississippi Medical Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior) - Yazoo City, 21st Century Primary Care Model for Chronic Disease and TeleEndocrine (The Endocrine Clinic) projects -Good Samaritan Clinic, Greenville , Delta State University School of Nursing (Cleveland), and Indianola Promise Community (Indianola). The delegation met with the individuals responsible for each program, on-site staff, and community leaders.Specials guest speakers during the tour were Mary Currier, Mississippi Department of Health State Officer and David Putt, CEO of University Hospitals and Health Systems at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Project HOPE, a non-profit founded in 1958, is dedicated to advancing health around the world and began conducting health education in the U.S. in 1969 and providing resources to Mississippians since 2005 when Project HOPE came to Mississippi's aid during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

DHA's Third 21st Century Model Clinic Opens in Greenwood

On June 2, the Leflore County Health Center (LCHC) celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house spearheaded by the Greenwood Industrial Foundation.

The LCHC will provide quality health care to the uninsured of Leflore County funded through Delta Health Alliance's 21st Century Primary Care Model for Chronic Disease project, which seeks to improve chronic disease outcomes, increase access to care, increase community awareness of chronic disease treatment and management, and evaluate the effectiveness of the patient-centered medical home model in the Mississippi Delta. The clinic will treat patients from a team approach and provide primary care and health care education, all necessary for Leflore County residents to live a healthy lifestyle.

According to Dr. Robert Dale, Chief Medical Officer - Delta Health Alliance, "The goal of this project is for patient care to become a team effort allowing the patient to become a member of the team through education about their disease process, medication management, and healthy lifestyle choices."

For a $10 administrative fee, patients will receive services of a nurse practitioner, nurse, patient navigator, and community health workers, along with the support of the project's clinical pharmacist and registered dietician. The clinic is run by a volunteer board.

LCHC shares the facility with Leflore Hospital Walk-in Clinic, which opened in February. Leflore Hospital's clinic provides primary care for insured and Medicaid patients of Leflore County. The city of Greenwood and Leflore County own the building which houses both clinics. Private donors included Trustmark Bank, Margaret Carl and Viking Range Corp., the Episcopal Women, and Jones Signs.

Funding for the 21st Century Primary Care Model for Chronic Disease project is provided by DHA through Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The LCHC officially opened with a ribbon-cutting by members of the Greenwood Industrial Foundation, board members of LCHC, Jim Jackson, Chief Administrator for Greenwood Leflore Hospital, Dr. Robert Dale, Chief Medical Officer for Delta Health Alliance, among others.

DHA Indianola Promise Community receives $5M Grant

The Delta Health Alliance has received a $5 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The three year grant will be used to fund innovative programs to improve early childhood education in Indianola.

According to Karen Fox, Delta Health Alliance CEO, "The Kellogg Foundation is one of the top foundations in the country, and we are honored they have chosen us to put into practice their early childhood vision. This grant will solidify our Indianola Promise Community project and expand our outreach to more children in Indianola."

Fox said the grant has five major goals:

Increase early childhood provider quality and financial stability

Increase early literacy skills of incoming kindergarten students

Increase parental involvement in school improvement

Increase teacher effectiveness in K-3 classrooms in Indianola schools

Lower the retention rate of kindergarten and first grade students in Indianola schools

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.

DHA's Indianola Promise Community, a program modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, is a cradle to college initiative that is transforming Indianola through various opportunities, including many upcoming summer programs for pre-schoolers through age 18.